Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 1998, Pages 38-42

Issues in the News

Compiled by Shawn L. Twing

ARABIAN PENINSULA

Bahrain, Iran Will Exchange Envoys:

Bahrain and Iran agreed in November to exchange ambassadors in an apparent easing of tensions between the two countries. The agreement followed talks in Manama between Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammad bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, and his visiting Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi. Ambassadors were recalled from both countries in June 1996 after arrested Shi'i dissidents in Bahrain confessed they had received training and guidance in Iran.

Bahrain Dissidents Sentenced:

Bahrain's state security court sentenced eight leaders of Bahrain's exiled opposition to 8 to 15 years in prison for attempting to overthrow the regime, the Gulf News Agency reported on Nov. 22. All eight were tried in absentia in a two-week, closed-door trial that began Nov. 7. Five were sentenced to 15 years in jail and fined 5,000 dinars ($13,500). Three others were sentenced to five-year prison terms.

U.S.-Kuwait Military Exercises:

Annual month-long U.S.-Kuwait military exercises began in Kuwait Dec. 1. Code-named "Eager Mace," the 1997 maneuvers involved some 4,300 U.S. sailors and Marines. In November, other U.S. ground forces conducted another annual exercise, "Intrinsic Action," with Kuwaiti, British and Italian soldiers a few miles south of Kuwait's border with Iraq. Kuwait's air force also conducted a two-day missile defense exercise in December.

Oman Privatizing Telecommunications:

Oman will privatize parts of its profitable telecommunications sector, according to corporate planning director Hamood Al Rawahi of the country's General Telecommunications Organization (GTO). "Next year we are going to privatize the public payphone system, the calling card system, and the pre-paid card system," Al Rawahi told an investment conference in Muscat on Nov. 29.

The new telecommunications measures are part of a broader privatization scheme involving 11 projects that will cost an estimated $2.6 billion between 1995 and 2000.

Qatar to Allow Women to Vote:

Women in Qatar will stand for election as well as vote in the country's first-ever municipal elections to be held in 1998, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said Dec. 1. "The draft law gives women the right to nomination and election," and is a "big step toward enhancing the role of popular participation...and establishing the basis of democratic practice in our country," Sheikh Hamad told the opening session of Qatar's advisory council. The new law will allow all Qataris over the age of 18 to participate in electing a 29-member Central Municipal Council. Oman is the only other Arab country in the Gulf that allows women to vote and stand for office in its consultative (shura) council.

GCC States Need Better Computer Security:

Few companies in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—have adequate computer security, according to a survey released recently by Saudi Arabia's Research Institute of Electronics at the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology. Conclusions of the survey, which appeared Nov. 19 in the English-language daily Saudi Gazette, recommend the establishment of a national computer security team in Saudi Arabia and other AGCC countries.

According to surveys of public and private sector institutions, 65 percent of the respondents said they have security policies for all computer applications, while 22 percent had it for some, and 9 percent did not have it for any. Among those polled, the majority of whom deal with sensitive or classified material, some 57 percent admitted that they had not performed risk assessment for their information systems. An additional 56 percent said they have no disaster recovery plan. The survey's findings were issued along with 60 other technical papers as part of an ongoing computer conference at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

It followed a similar report in the United States that said some $100 million was lost annually because of computer security violations.

UAE Observes National Day:

The United Arab Emirates celebrated its 26th national day Dec. 2 with festivities throughout Abu Dhabi. Thousands of well-wishers gathered with UAE president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for observances that included traditional folk dancing, poetry, singing, fireworks, and exhibitions of Arabian horse riding. A highlight of the festivities was an afternoon race featuring some 50 boats, each rowed by 16 to 18 oarsmen, the UAE English-language daily Khaleej Times reported.

Saudi Economy Grows 8.6 Percent:

Saudi Arabia's economy grew some 8.6 percent in 1996, up from 4.2 percent the previous year, the English-language daily Arab News reported Nov. 3. According to the annual report of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) completed in October, Saudi Arabia's oil sector grew 17 percent in 1996, compared to 5.2 percent the previous year. The non-oil sector grew a record 3.2 percent in 1996. Accompanying the above-average growth rate was a sharp decline in the budget deficit. According to the SAMA report, Saudi Arabia's ratio of budget deficit to GDP decreased from 14.6 percent in 1992 to 3.7 percent in 1996.

Civil Sales Top Dubai Air Show:

Executive planes captured the spotlight at the 1997 Dubai Air Show held in the United Arab Emirates Nov. 16-20, where, for the first time, sales of civilian aircraft outpaced military aircraft. Twelve executive jet makers, including Gulfstream and Boeing of the United States, Bombardier of Canada, and Airbus and Dassault of France, brought their business jets to compete for hundreds of millions of dollars in purchases. In total, more than $1 billion in orders were announced for civil aircraft during the five-day event. After the United States, the Middle East is the second largest market for civil aviation in the world.

American Hostage Freed in Yemen:

American oil executive Steve Carpenter was freed unharmed by Yemeni tribesmen in November after being seized near the capital, Sana'a, Oct. 30, The Washington Post reported on Nov. 28. Carpenter, who is believed to be the longest-held foreigner in recent Yemeni history, is director of a Yemeni company that works as a subcontractor for the U.S. Hunt Oil firm. Some 46 foreigners were abducted in Yemen in 1997, and all were released unharmed or rescued by Yemeni authorities. Since 1993 more than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped by Yemeni tribesmen.

FERTILE CRESCENT

Clinton Removes Syria, Lebanon From U.S. Drug List:

U.S. President Bill Clinton removed Syria and Lebanon from the list of countries producing and shipping significant amounts of illegal drugs, The Washington Post reported Nov. 11. Senior Clinton administration officials said that the move was in response to the two countries' eradication of poppy cultivation in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, which is under Syrian control. Poppies are the basic ingredient in heroin.

"This was not a political decision," one U.S. official told the Post. "[Syria and Lebanon] did not meet the legal definition of major drug-producing or drug transit countries."

Syria Cuts Military Forces in Lebanon:

Syria has reduced its military presence in Lebanon by one-third, from some 35,000 troops a year ago to 25,000 now, the weekly trade publication Defense News reported in November. The increasing capabilities of Lebanon's military, and Syrian concerns about defending its own territory against possible Israeli attacks in the wake of a collapsing peace process are the principal reasons for the gradual reduction in forces, according to sources cited by Defense News.

Lebanon Won't Ban Land Mines:

Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Bweiz told his Canadian counterpart, Lloyd Axworthy, in Beirut on Nov. 14 that Lebanon will not sign an international treaty banning anti-personnel land mines until Israel ratifies that same treaty, the English-language daily Saudi Gazette reported. Combatants on both sides of Israel's self-declared "security zone" in southern Lebanon use land mines.

Lebanon Seeks More U.S. Aid:

Lebanon will seek continued U.S. military aid in addition to the estimated $140 million worth of U.S. equipment and training it has received since 1993, Defense News reported in November. Lebanon is seeking communications equipment, 500 used M113 armored personnel carriers to supplement the 800 excess APCs it has received from the United States, and utility helicopters to supplement 16 UH-1H utility helicopters to be delivered in 1998, Colonel Elias Farhat, director of orientation for the Lebanese armed forces, said in a Nov. 10 interview. In addition to the armored personnel carriers, Lebanon also has received 3,000 jeeps and trucks and has participated in the U.S. International Military Education Training (IMET) program.

Lebanese Cabinet Declares Bekaa Valley a Military Zone:

The Lebanese cabinet declared the Bekaa Valley a military zone during a Nov. 12 meeting, effectively giving the Lebanese military a free hand to crush a four-month-old anti-government revolt there. News agencies reported that police and security forces in the Baalbeck/Hermel area will be placed under the command of Lebanese army chief Gen. Emile Lahoud for three months. The move was in response to rising tensions in the area brought about by a so-called "hunger revolution" of the poor led by former Hezbollah secretary-general Sheikh Sobhi Tofaili. The cabinet acted after Tofaili declared the Baalbeck/Hermel areas off-limits to members of Lebanon's parliament and members of the cabinet.

Jordan Signs Chemical Weapons Ban:

Jordan's King Hussein issued a royal decree in November ratifying the international Chemical Weapons Convention, The Washington Times reported Nov. 5. Jordan was the first country in the area to ratify the treaty banning the development and use of chemical weapons.

Jordan Gets $150 Million in U.S. Aid:

Jordan will get $225 million in U.S. foreign aid in 1998, although only $125 million is appropriated for economic and military aid to the Hashemite Kingdom. The extra $100 million will be taken from Israel and Egypt out of their respective $3.1 and $2.1 annual economic and military aid packages from the United States. A similar strategy for increasing aid to Jordan without adding money to the foreign aid spending bill occurred last year as well. President Clinton received a letter from Israel's Ambassador to the United States Eliahu Ben Elissar stating that Israel will honor the commitment, according to congressional aides cited by The Washington Post. It had been rumored that the U.S. was concerned that Israel would renege on the plan, counting on congressional support to deflect criticism.

Pro-Government Parties Gain in Jordanian Election:

Government supporters were the big winners in Jordan's November elections, winning 62 of the 80 seats in the lower house of Jordan's parliament. Some 809,000 voters—slightly less than half of those eligible—cast ballots in elections that were deemed fair by diplomats visiting polling stations during the voting. The election was boycotted by Jordan's Islamist opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front, which previously had 16 members in parliament. The only woman member of parliament lost her seat, and none of the 15 other women who ran were elected.

Turkey Creates "Security Zone" in Kurdish Northern Iraq:

Turkey has created a "security zone" in Kurdish northern Iraq policed by thousands of soldiers, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported Oct. 22. An unnamed Turkish government minister cited by the newspaper said some 8,000 Turkish soldiers had been deployed in Iraqi territory to prevent attacks by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas. Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed establishment of border "security areas."

IRAN/IRAQ

Iran/Iraq Still Exchanging Prisoners:

Iraq released in December two prisoners jailed since 1991, one week after Iran released 500 Iraqi prisoners of war from the 1980-1988 war between the two countries. "Today's release will contribute in a positive way to an overall solution to the grievous problem posed by those still being held captive in connection with the conflict between Iran and Iraq," read a press release from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Iran insists that some 5,000 to 10,000 Iranian prisoners of war still are held in Iraq. The charge is denied by Iraqi officials. The prisoner exchange preceded the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit held in Tehran.

Gulf Alert May Cost $100 Million:

Sending U.S. military forces into the Gulf in response to Saddam Hussain's Oct. 29 decision to prevent U.S. observers from inspecting suspected Iraqi weapons facilities may cost the United States an additional $100 million, The Washington Times reported Nov. 25. The Pentagon's substantial increase of military forces in the region that included more than 15,000 soldiers, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier battle group, Patriot missile batteries, F-117 stealth aircraft and B-52 bombers based in Diego Garcia, could require the Pentagon to ask for additional money to fund the unexpected operation. "We're trying to determine whether the costs can be defrayed with existing funds," a Pentagon spokesman said. Others, however, do not believe that costs will be nearly that high. "These are costs that were already sunk—they are not additional incremental costs," said Ron O'Rourke, a naval expert at the Congressional Research Service. In comparison, the September 1996 launch of 39 cruise missiles against Iraqi air defense targets in response to Iraqi troop movements into northern Iraq cost an estimated $200 million.

Czechs Cancel Iraq Arms Deal:

The government of the Czech Republic assured U.S. Vice President Al Gore that it will not sell Iraq equipment that its manufacturer claims can detect U.S. stealth aircraft, The Washington Times reported Nov. 14. Following an earlier Times report that Iraq was seeking to purchase from the Czech Republic five Tamara electronic warfare systems for some $375 million, Gore met with then-Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus in Prague. "Vice President Gore discussed this issue with Prime Minister Klaus [and Czech officials] assured us that they will do everything they can to prevent this from taking place," said Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon.

Iran Ratifies Chemical Weapons Pact:

Iran ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention—an international treaty banning the development, production and use of chemical weapons—in November, thereby opening its military and civilian chemical facilities to international inspection. Brazilian diplomat and head of the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons José Mauricio Bustani applauded Iran's decision, saying that the inspection and enforcement system set up by the treaty is "very tough...It would be difficult for anyone to cheat." The United States, also a signatory to the treaty, has accused Iran of stockpiling massive amounts of chemical and biological weapons. Under the treaty, Iran must declare its chemical weapons sites and open them for inspections. Other sites, including civilian chemical facilities, also can be inspected. Further, signatory nations can request a "challenge inspection," with only 12 hours' notice, of sites suspected of being used for prohibited activities. "We welcome Iran's ratification of the chemical weapons convention," said State Department spokesman James Rubin. "The next step is for Iran to make a full declaration of its chemical weapons capability...We will be watching very carefully."

EU Ambassadors Return to Iran:

Eleven European diplomats returned to their posts in Iran in November following six months of tense relations between the Islamic Republic and the European Union. The recall of ambassadors, reciprocated by Iran, began after the April 10 decision of a German court to implicate high-level Iranian officials in the murders of Iranian opposition leaders in Germany. "Because of the behavior of certain [EU] countries, there is a negative perception in Iran with respect to long-term relations with them. They have to try to wipe out this negative perception in the future," said Morteza Sarmadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for foreign affairs.

Iran "No Enemy" of American People, says Khamenei:

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei said his country will continue to fight the U.S. government, but that Iran is no enemy of the American people, Agence France Presse reported in November. "The Iranian nation has no animosity toward the American people. We are fighting the U.S. government because of its hostile attitude [toward Iran] and since it doesn't spare any plots against our people," Khamanei said. The Iranian leader made the remarks in a speech marking the 18th anniversary of Iran's seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed.

U.S. Warns Firms on Iran:

The United States warned five non-U.S. firms that sanctions might be imposed if they deal with Iran in contravention of U.S. law. Speaking Nov. 7 at a transatlantic business conference in Rome, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Trade Stuart Eizenstat said that the United States was investigating Russian Gazprom, Malaysia's Petronas, Total SA of France, Canada's Bow Valley, and the Bakrie Group of Indonesia. He emphasized that no evidence had yet been found that would warrant the imposition of U.S. sanctions, but added that sanctions are a "real option" if any evidence is uncovered.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

Temple Mount Faithful Lay "Cornerstone for Third Temple":

Members of the radical Jewish nationalist Temple Mount Faithful organization laid a "cornerstone for the Third Temple" outside Jerusalem's Old City walls in October. The four-ton stone was hauled on a flatbed truck and adorned with ritual objects to be used in the rebuilt temple. "We are here to finish what our forefathers started," Gershon Salomon, head of the Temple Mount Faithful, told the Jerusalem Post. "There will be no peace as long as Jews cannot pray on the Temple Mount."

According to Jewish belief, the building of the Third Temple will pave the way for the coming of the Messiah. Muslims object to the plan because two mosques, the Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock, occupy the Haram Al-Sharif, the site Jews call the Temple Mount.

Israeli Minister Meets Pollard:

Israel's Absorption Minister Yuli Edelstein became the first Israeli minister to meet with convicted spy-for-Israel Jonathan Pollard, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. Edelstein met Nov. 24 with Pollard, a former civilian U.S. naval counterintelligence specialist who was arrested outside the Israeli Embassy in 1985 and later sentenced to life in prison. Edelstein reportedly initiated the meeting at a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina, and delivered a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's spokesman, David Bar-Ilan, with a "pledge from the premier to continue every effort to secure Pollard's release." Israeli officials and pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States repeatedly have pressured the U.S. government to release Pollard. President Clinton rejected a clemency plea in 1996, citing the gravity of Pollard's crime, his lack of remorse and the damage caused to U.S. national security.

Israeli Artist Charged With Desecrating Goldstein Grave:

Left-wing Israeli artist Avraham Ben Yaakov Pesso, who poured paint on the grave of Jewish West Bank settler Baruch Goldstein, the murderer of 29 Palestinian men and boys praying at the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron in February 1994, was charged in November with damaging a public monument. Pesso, who could get six years in jail, will be tried in West Jerusalem in January.

Israel/Vatican Sign Accord:

The Vatican has agreed to place the external affairs of Roman Catholic institutions in Israel under the jurisdiction of Israeli law. Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy and Vatican envoy Archbishop Andrea Cordera Lanza di Montezomolo signed in November in Jerusalem the first agreement in 500 years to define the legal status of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

Court Rules Sharon Misled Begin in Lebanon War:

An Israeli court ruled Nov. 4 that former Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon misled then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin about Sharon's intentions to send troops into Beirut, Lebanon in 1982. The ruling came in a libel suit filed by Sharon, who currently is head of Israel's infrastructure ministry, against Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper and journalist Uzi Benziman. The suit focused on a 1991 article by Benziman that said Sharon had told Begin that Israeli forces would go only 25 miles into Lebanon in pursuit of Palestine Liberation Organization guerrillas. Israeli forces eventually went all the way to Beirut, besieging the capital with a nearly month-and-a-half-long artillery bombardment. "We are very disappointed by the ruling, but this is the first stage of a process," Sharon's lawyer, Dov Weissglass, told the Associated Press. "I will not let this go, even if I have to fight another 20 years," Sharon said.

Israel Plans New Gate in 400-Year-Old Walls of Jerusalem's Old City:

Israel plans to create a new opening in the 400-year-old walls surrounding Jerusalem's Old City to help develop the Jewish Quarter there, according to government announcements in October. The plan, expected to cost some $11 million, will cut a new traffic gate through one wall, add floors to houses in the Jewish quarter, and improve Jewish religious sites, Israel's Deputy Housing Minister Meir Porush told Israel radio. Archeologists oppose Israel's plan, saying that Jerusalem is a sovereign city protected by the United Nations. "Nothing like this has been done to historical sites in the world in the past 20 years," said Jerusalem archeologist Gidon Avni.

Israel to Deploy "Arrow" Missile a Year Early:

Israel is accelerating development of its Arrow-2 anti-tactical ballistic missile system in hopes of deploying it a year ahead of schedule, Jane's Defence Weekly reported in November. Citing an Oct. 30 report on Israel's Channel 2 television, Jane's said that one battery of Arrow missiles should be "partly operational" by mid-1998. The Arrow is designed to protect Israel from ballistic missile attack. Although the Pentagon has said it will not use the Arrow to protect U.S. forces, the U.S. government has paid almost all of the Arrow's $1.6 billion costs directly from the Pentagon's budget, and indirectly with U.S. aid Israel uses to pay its share of the project.

Government Informer Didn't Report Rabin Assassin's Plan:

A right-wing informant for Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service who was a friend of Yigal Amir, the convicted assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, did not report Amir's intentions to his Shin Bet handlers, according to conclusions from an Israeli inquiry on the assassination reported by The New York Times. Avishai Raviv, a radical Jewish militant, was supposed to inform on the activities of his colleagues, including Yigal Amir, but instigated more than he reported, the inquiry found. A memo cited in the report warned Raviv "that his role, as part of the connection with [Shin Bet], is not to initiate activities but to delay, postpone and report the activities of others." Raviv had a history of "slipping out of the control of his handlers [and] pursuing his own campaign of violence against Arabs," the Times reported.

U.S.-Born Killer Freed by Israel:

A U.S.-born dual citizen of Israel and the U.S. was freed by Israeli authorities in October after serving two-thirds of a commuted sentence for killing a Palestinian 15 years ago in Islam's third holiest site. Alan Goodman was freed and sent to the United States Oct. 26 on condition that he not return to Israel until his 24-year sentence—reduced from two concurrent 40-year sentences—expired. While on leave from basic training in the Israeli military, Goodman forced his way onto the Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount on April 11, 1982 and opened fire inside the Dome of the Rock, killing a Palestinian guard and wounding several other Palestinians. In the riots that followed, Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian and wounded dozens of others.

"Mary's Rock" Unearthed Near Bethlehem:

Archeologists unearthed a rock in October once revered as the site where Mary stopped to rest on the way to Bethlehem before giving birth to Jesus. Construction workers laying pipe for the controversial Har Homa settlement between Jerusalem and Bethlehem damaged the foundation of an ancient Byzantine church there, leading archeologists to dig in the area to make repairs. The octagonal Church of Kathisma ("the seat" in Greek), measuring 173 feet by 143 feet, surrounds a limestone rock that Christians believe is the place Mary stopped to rest on the way to Bethlehem. Christians have made pilgrimages for at least 1,700 years to the site, which is on land controlled by the Greek Orthodox Church.

Israel to Sell 1,000 Har Homa Apartments:

Israel will sell some 1,000 apartments in the new Jews-only Har Homa settlement in East Jerusalem, Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper reported Nov. 4, despite a U.S. request for a "time out" on settlement building. Israel's housing and construction ministry also outlined a plan to sell more than 11,500 residences in the West Bank by the year 2000. Ahmed Tibi, adviser to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, said the plan "will cause an escalation" in tension. "All the world knows that the peace process broke down because of the start of construction at Jabal Abu Ghneim [Har Homa]," he declared.

Hebron Settlement to be Expanded:

The Israeli military authorized in November the construction of a 10,000-square-foot building to accommodate six Jewish settler families in downtown Hebron. Under terms of the 1997 Israeli withdrawal agreement, Israeli forces retained control of 20 percent of Hebron to protect some 450 Jewish militants there who make up less than one percent of Hebron's population of 150,000. The construction "is a dangerous provocation which violates all the accords between Israelis and Palestinians," said Jamal Shubaki, a spokesman for Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Israeli official Noam Arnon told Agence France Presse that the building should be complete in a year and a half.

Arafat, Yassin, Reject Luxor Attack:

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin both condemned the November attack in Luxor, Egypt that left 59 foreign tourists dead, along with their attackers and Egyptian police. "It is horrible, and something which is against our traditions as Arabs, Muslims and Christians," Arafat said. "We reject the attack against foreigners who asked permission and safety to enter our countries," Sheikh Yassin said.

Israeli Minister Condemns Massacre:

Forty-one years after Israeli border police killed 49 villagers in the Palestinian village of Kafr Kasim, Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav went to the village and apologized, the Jerusalem Post reported. "I came here to identify with the victims, show them honor, say the victims were innocent, express our sorrow, and say that the victims deserve our apology," Katsav said. The attack occurred on Oct. 29, 1956, the day Israeli forces began the Suez war. Israel imposed a curfew on several Arab villages and as villagers returned in small groups from working in the fields, where they were unaware of the curfew, they were gunned down by Israeli police. Two Israeli officers and six soldiers were tried and given prison terms that were commuted three years later.

Palestine to Get Five TV Channels:

Palestinian TV will be allotted five channels for live broadcasts once a Palestinian state has been established, a spokesperson for the International Union for Telecommunications said Nov. 14 in Geneva. "This is a very important step toward fulfilling the ambition of having our own channels," Samir Bakr, director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Postal Services and Telecommunications told the Jerusalem-based English-language daily Jerusalem Times. The IUT measure was passed with 134 out of 188 votes in favor.

OPIC Signs $60 Million Investment Protocol for Palestine and Jordan:

The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation on Nov. 17 at the MENA economic meeting in Doha, Qatar signed a protocol for a $60 million equity fund to be used in the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan. The fund, to be managed by Capital Investment Corporation of McLean, VA,"will make equity investments in a diverse portfolio of projects, including both service and manufacturing companies," according to an OPIC press release.

Arafat to Declare State by 1999:

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Nov. 13 that he will declare statehood in 1999. After meeting with visiting Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy in Gaza, Arafat told reporters that he will declare Palestinian statehood at the end of the five-year interim period called for in the Oslo accords. "We will declare the establishment of a state whether [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu wants us to or not...even if part of the state remains under occupation and contains settlements," Arafat told Israel's Hebrew-language daily Yediot Ahronot. Prime Minister Netanyahu threatened to reoccupy the West Bank and Gaza if Arafat declares statehood unilaterally.

NORTH AFRICA:

Report Says France Tested Chemical Weapons in Algeria:

France secretly tested chemical weapons in Algeria as late as 1978, the French news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur reported in October. Permission for the testing was written into secret clauses of Algeria's independence declaration of 1962 and was renewed twice, the magazine reported. Pierre Messmer, former defense minister for then-French President Charles de Gaulle, confirmed the report. The chemical weapons testing facility allegedly was disguised as a non-military site operated by the Thompson Company.

Egypt Opens New Irrigation Canal:

Egypt opened in October a new series of canals that will carry Nile river water under the Suez Canal to irrigate the arid Sinai Peninsula. The $1.62 billion project, financed partly by Kuwait, is aimed at irrigating some 620,000 acres of land in the Sinai that will allow up to 1.5 million people to resettle there. It is one of many plans by Egyptian authorities to spread out Egypt's burgeoning population that is concentrated mainly in the Nile river valley. Cairo alone is home to 16 million of Egypt's estimated 60 million citizens.

Egypt, U.S., European and Gulf Forces Hold "Bright Star" Exercises:

Egyptian and U.S. military forces, along with smaller contingents from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, participated in November in "Bright Star '97," one of the largest combined military exercises held in the Middle East. According to reports by Jane's Defence Weekly, some 58,000 personnel, 337 aircraft, 24 warships (incuding the USS George Washington carrier battle group) and thousands of armored vehicles were involved in the three-week exercise. U.S. Navy Admiral Kenneth Pettigrew told Jane's that this year's exercises had "a number of firsts," including contacts between a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine and Egyptian submarines. The "Bright Star" series began in 1981 as a result of peace agreements between Egypt and Israel.

U.N. Extends Libya Embargo:

The United Nations Security Council extended by 60 days its ongoing ban on air travel to and from Libya during a November meeting of the 15-member council. The travel ban was imposed in 1992 when Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi refused to turn over two Libyan suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland. "Contrary to its rhetoric, the Qaddafi regime has made no serious effort to comply with U.N. sanctions and bring this situation to a close," U.S. representative to the United Nations Bill Richardson told the Security Council.

Moroccan Government, Opposition Parties Split Parliamentary Elections:

Winners in November elections for Morocco's lower house of parliament were divided almost evenly among pro-government, opposition and centrist parties, the Associated Press reported Nov. 16. "The results do not at all reflect our support around the country," said Hafid Boutaleb, spokesman for the opposition Socialist Union of Popular Forces, which complained of election fraud. The opposition bloc won 102 seats, the pro-government bloc 100 seats, and centrist parties won 97 seats.

U.S. Tightens Sanctions on Sudan:

U.S. officials announced in November a sweeping embargo on trade with and American investment in Sudan because of its alleged support of terrorism, persecution of religious minorities and tolerance of the slave trade. "We take these steps because the government of Sudan has failed to respond to repeated expressions of concern or to the imposition of lesser sanctions," U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told reporters. Exempted from the unilateral sanctions are Sudanese exports of gum arabic, a derivative of the acacia tree that is an ingredient in candy, soft drinks, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and inks. Sudan accounts for some 70 percent of the world's gum arabic production. Other exceptions to the sanctions will be reviewed "on a case-by-case basis," according to Albright.

Tunisian President Marks 10 Years in Power:

Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali marked 10 years in power in November, celebrating containment of Islamist extremism and the development of a successful, stable economy. "Thanks to the adoption of innumerable reforms, Tunisia was able to free itself of the status of an underdeveloped country and reach one already quite enviable—that of an emerging economy," President Ben Ali told The New York Times. Ben Ali, a military man who was Tunisia's prime minister at the time, invoked a constitutional clause to depose then president-for-life Habib Bourguiba on Nov. 7, 1987 on grounds of senility.